Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Ming-Na Wen on Playing Agent Melinda May

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What to expect from her character and what it's like working with Whedon.

By Eric Goldman

With an impressive resume that includes everything from ER to Stargate Universe (and yes, at IGN, we’ll always love her for Street Fighter!), Ming-Na Wen returns to TV this fall as Agent Melinda May on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I recently spoke to Wen about her role on the highly anticipated ABC series, which will tie into the Marvel cinematic universe, with Melinda and her fellow agents going on missions alongside Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg).

Talking to cast members from a secretive project like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can be tricky, as there is so much they’re not allowed to discuss yet. But Wen gave me a few hints about Melinda’s perspective, along with what it’s like working with Joss Whedon, who co-wrote and directed the pilot.

Ming Na Wen: Yeah, it’s been nice to see all the response I’ve been getting on Twitter. It seems like everybody is into her moves. I convinced them that I’m capable!

IGN: Well it’s not that she just has the moves, she has the reputation, clearly. So what can you say about her and why Agent Ward would note, “Is that who I think it is?” in the trailer?

Wen: What can I say? I think what’s going to be interesting with her character is you discover her slowly. She’s a bit of a mystery, she’s a bit damaged, she doesn’t say very much. She’s slowly revealed -- which means I don’t know who she is yet! [Laughs]

IGN: What do you think she makes of all these superheroes popping up?

Wen: I think if you’re part of that level, if you’re in that level being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, you’ve seen it all, you know it all. There are things that still might surprise you, but at the same time, they have gone through that route before. It’s more about the task of, how do we fix a bad situation? How do we take care of this and make it a benefit for our country? I think those are our real mindsets -- not so much “Holy... whoa! Look at what this person can do...!”, you know? Because they’ve seen aliens fly from a hole up in the sky. We’ve seen a semi-god, so it’s really about, how can we take care of this particular situation.

IGN: They’re S.H.I.E.L.D., so they hang out in the coffee break room, right?

Wen: Right, right, right! Yeah! While they’re cleaning their weapons.

IGN: So do they get along well? Or is there any friction there?

Wen: You’re just trying to dig! [Laughs] You know what, I have to say, I am so excited. When I saw the pilot episode, it was just -- there’s so much heart in it, and it’s such family-oriented entertainment. But the reality is, all these relationships that the agents have, there’s a lot of truth to it. I can’t wait for the audience to see it and be part of this experience.

Wen: Now that I can talk about! I have pure adulation for him. When you go from being a geek girl, loving someone’s work, and then you actually get a chance to work with that person and to find out that he is beyond all your expectations... He’s truly not just the most genuine, grounded human being, but he really cares, and he’s so passionate and gifted about all the stuff that he does. So to work with him is just a dream.

IGN: One thing that’s obviously great with his work is his sense of humor and undercutting a tense situation.

Wen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And sometimes it’s just off the top of his head. And a lot of times he’ll let us find it ourselves, because he’s that secure about letting the actors discover things too.